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Police make arrests in Lower Windsor Township trailer arson

Two men were arrested in connection with setting the fire, according to Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Tim Caldwell.

By REBECCA LeFEVER and TED CZECH

Daily Record/Sunday News

Updated:
04/20/2013 06:56:21 PM EDT

Three men and a juvenile have been arrested in connection with a March 3 trailer fire, in which fireworks were shot inside, killing two dogs and causing severe damage, Lower Windsor Township Police Chief Tim Caldwell said.

Dakota Castillo Molina, 19, of the 100 block of Ruffian Lane of Lower Windsor Township and Justin Neil Leiphart, 19, of the first block of Main Street in Yorkana, were in York County Prison Thursday night in lieu of $100,000 bail each, according to court documents.

Andrew E. Siple, 23, of Dallastown turned himself in Friday afternoon and was in York County Prison on $25,000 bail, according to Caldwell.

A 16-year-old juvenile also was charged.

"It's a good day for the township, it's a good day for the victims, so that they can start to get some closure," Caldwell said last week.

Lower Windsor Township Police received help in the case from Pennsylvania State Police and detectives from the York County District Attorney's Office, he said.

Caldwell said the men knew one of homeowner Gary Lake's sons.

"There appeared to be some rift," between Lake's son and the men, Caldwell said.

Police and firefighters were sent to the fire in the 1600 block of Manor Road, near Taylor Road and Patton Lane, just before 1:30 a.m.

Lake, 50, said later that morning that he and his wife, Karen, 46, were sleeping when someone broke the window to their bedroom and began blasting fireworks inside.

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Police found a firework mortar outside of the home and were told by Lake's son that Molina had been sending threatening text messages, according to court documents.

Officers spoke with one young man who had been hanging out with Molina, Siple and Leiphart the night of the fire, documents state. The man told police they had been drinking and drove in Leiphart's car to the Lake home, where they ran over the mailbox and came back to set off the firework.

When police questioned the men, they denied having left their friend's home that night, documents state.

The other man told police he never got out of the car, documents state.

He has not been charged in the incident.

Lake recalled after the fire how quickly things got out of control.

"And 'til I got out of bed, everything was lit up," Lake said. "The house was that full of smoke and on fire ... In three minutes, it burnt."

Lake said he and his wife, two of their sons, ages 18 and 16, and a 15-year-old grandson, were able to evacuate safely.

Unfortunately, their two dogs, 9-year-old Buddy and Marley, a puppy, died in the fire, Lake said. In addition, all of their belongings were destroyed.

"We lost everything; everything's gone," he said.

Caldwell praised the efforts of all the investigators who helped put the complex case together.

"It just took a while to get everything together," he said. But as the weeks went by, "A picture started to take place, which gave us enough confidence that we were proceeding in the correct way."